The present invention relates to intramuscular electrical medical leads.
Surgically implanted medical electrical leads for temporary stimulation of various organs in the human body are well known in the art, some examples of which may be found in the issued U.S. Patents listed in Table 1 below.
All patents listed in Table 1 hereinabove are hereby incorporated by reference herein, each in its respective entirety. As those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate readily upon reading the Summary of the Invention, Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments and Claims set forth below, many of the devices and methods disclosed in the patents of Table 1 may be modified advantageously in accordance with the teachings of the present invention.
In respect of known intramuscular medical stimulation leads, sliding members disposed on the lead bodies thereof may act as a source of bacterial infection. See, for example, the ""758 patent referenced in Table 1 hereinabove. Additionally, non-conductive polypropolene monofilaments employed in known intramuscular leads have been criticized as being too stiff and difficult to tie into a knot. Moreover, fixation of the aforementioned sliding members to muscle tissue is not always possible. Indeed, such sliding members have a tendency to move after a suture has been applied around the barrel anchor thereof.
Thus, there exists a need to reliably and fixedly implant temporary stimulation leads for intramuscular applications.
The present invention has certain objects. That is, the present invention provides solutions to problems existing in the prior art. It is an object of the present invention to provide an intramuscular medical electrical lead which may be reliably and quickly affixed to muscle tissue. It is further object of the present invention to provide an intramuscular medical electrical lead which is quickly and easily attached to human muscle tissue. It is a still further object of the present invention to provide an intramuscular medical electrical lead which
Various embodiments of the present invention have one or more advantages. More particularly, various embodiments of the intramuscular medical electrical lead of the present invention: (a) reduce the amount of time required to implant an intramuscular lead in muscle tissue; (b) prevent one or more electrodes to be reliably and fixedly implanted within human muscle tissue; (c) reduce patient trauma; (d) reduce the number of puncture sites in the muscle tissue; (e) can be easy to use; (f) attach to external pacemakers, defibrillators, monitoring equipment and other external electrical apparatus quickly, easily, securely and reliably; and (g) increase patient safety owing to shortened implantation times, quicker connection to external stimulation or monitoring equipment, and more reliable fixation to muscle tissue.
Various embodiments of the intramuscular medical electrical lead of the present invention have certain features, including one or more of the following: (a) an intramuscular lead having at least one proximal fixation member; (b) an intramuscular medical electrical lead having at least one distal fixation member; (c) an intramuscular medical electrical lead having proximal and distal fixation members, (d) an intramuscular medical electrical lead having a proximal or distal fixation member, where the fixation member is selected from a group consisting of a trumpet-shaped member, a tined member, and a helical screw; and (e) an intramuscular medical electrical lead having an electrode section which may be elongated or compressed during the implantation procedure.
Other objects, features, advantages and embodiments of the present invention will become apparent upon reading the Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments and the Claims.